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Can Otterbein Keep Ohio in the Pool B Biz?

For a long time, Ohio was the land of Pool B. The programs in
the North Coast Athletic Conference gobbled up the independent bids
at an alarming rate by utilizing their above average schedules and
talented rosters. That's all over now, with the NCAC finally
joining the Pool A/C party this spring.

But the Buckeye state is not completely devoid of Pool B
hopefuls.

The nascent Ohio Athletic Conference, which will have three full
varsity programs in 2013 and six in 2014, has the potential to fill
the vacuum in the near future. The best candidate to give it a run
this spring?

Otterbein.

Located in Westerville, Ohio, Otterbein is the most mature men's
lacrosse program out of all the schools in the state and could
feasibly be in the running for one of the yet to be determined
number of independent bids.

"We're not living in fantasyland, but we don't want to sell
ourselves short," said Colin Hartnett, Otterbein's head coach,
about the program's prospects in 2013.

For the first time in program history, the Cardinals will have
four-year seniors on the roster. Established in 2010, Otterbein has
made steady improvement – 4-11 in '10, 7-10 in '11 and 9-6
last spring – and now the next step could be to join the hunt
for the postseason with an experienced group that has a clearer
path to the NCAAs.

"We've got some guys who have been with us for three and four
years that are going to be a big factor in how we're going to do
this year," said Hartnett.

The Cardinals lose just one starter off last year's edition, and
return senior Andrew Donatelli (18g, 12a) and junior Mikey O'Neil
(23g, 20a) on attack, which should be the deepest unit in '13. The
midfield corps, paced by Jeff Reese (14g, 4a) and Pat Teynor (7g,
4a), will continue to be a sum of its parts. Hartnett says "we
don't have one player who outshines the others."

The defense returns just about everyone, and Otterbein has four
goalies returning who saw action last year.

As the NCAC showed, competing in Pool B is as much about
scheduling as anything else. This might be where Otterbein has its
biggest advantage. The Cardinals are playing four NCAC teams,
including Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg, which will help the RPI,
but will also be playing many of the teams they will grapple with
for the Pool B bids.

Hartnett is bringing his club down to play independents Ferrum
and Greensboro before traveling to St. Vincent and hosting
Whittier. If they can sweep those games – and keep their
record at .500 or better – the Cardinals should be in the
driver's seat. Winning tough games on the road will be key in
achieving the latter.

Last year, five of Otterbein's six losses came away from
Westerville. Can that be changed?

"We hope so," Hartnett said. "Hopefully a little more age and
being a little older and a little smarter and a little better will
push us over the top in games like that."

Like the NCAC before them, the Pool B days for the OAC schools
may be numbered. With Mount Union and Wilmington joining Otterbein
this spring, and then Baldwin-Wallace, Capital and John Carroll
coming online in 2014, the league is just one school away from
garnering an AQ. With four institutions currently without the
sport – Heidelberg, Marietta, Muskingum and Ohio Northern
– the odds are pretty good in the near future.

"I hear rumors," said Hartnett.

It will be only then that Ohio will no longer be in the Pool B
business.